Twenty-five trainees have completed a three-month technical and vocational education and training (TVET) programme at Riak-Dor Vocational Training Centre in Rumbek, Lakes State, after receiving instruction in hairdressing, computer skills and construction.
The programme was organised by the Disabled Association for Rehabilitation and Development (DARD) with funding from Oxfam.
DARD Executive Director Cipuounyuc Awur congratulated the graduates on completing the training and urged them to use their newly acquired skills to pursue employment and other economic opportunities.
“Today’s event is not the end of the training but the beginning of your journey into the labour market,” Awur said on Wednesday.
He said vocational skills could help graduates contribute to national development, improve their livelihoods and support economic growth.
Awur added that the centre aims to ensure graduates acquired practical skills and the tools needed to apply their training.
Nyankor John, a hairdressing trainer at the centre, said the programme had equipped participants with practical knowledge they could use in their future work.
She thanked DARD and Oxfam for supporting the programme, saying the graduates intended to put their newly acquired skills into practice.
Charles Anau Cirillo Majok, director general at the Lakes State Ministry of General Education and Instruction, said vocational training is important in a country where formal employment opportunities were limited.
He said graduates could use their skills to establish businesses, provide services and contribute to local economic development rather than depend solely on government jobs.
Majok also thanked DARD and Oxfam for supporting the programme, adding that South Sudan had a national TVET policy aimed at expanding vocational training opportunities.
He said the government is working to strengthen and equip vocational training centres to ensure trainees acquired the skills needed to become self-reliant and support their families.
Makuei Goljok, acting director general at the Lakes State Ministry of Labour, Public Service and Human Resource Development, said skills-based training is important for economic growth, youth employment and household incomes.
He urged graduates to seek opportunities that matched their qualifications, including computer-related work and hairdressing.
Goljok said the state government would engage relevant ministries, including the Ministry of Trade, to explore ways to support graduates seeking to establish businesses and practise their trades.
He also encouraged the graduates to enter the labour market and apply their skills, saying vocational training could help communities become less dependent on government employment and external assistance.
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